The release of a new iPhone brings with it the need for a plethora of new accessories. The most important of these accessories is arguably your new device’s case. Not only does your new investment need to be protected from the occasional fumble from your hand to the floor, it also needs to feel nice to hold, not to mention look good. Thankfully, Razer is here to help you take full advantage of Apple Arade while allowing your phone to keep running at peak performance.
Now available for iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhoneXr, Xs, Xs Max, as well as the Razer Phone 2, is the Razer Arctech smartphone case, featuring a Thermaphene layer that helps to keep your phone cool while improving battery life and improving your phone’s overall performance.
Layered For Protection
The case features a Thermaphene layer that absorbs and transfers heat away from the phone, while cushioning your device and preventing dirt and dust from entering the case. It also allows for wireless charging. The Artech Slim version comes with a thinner profile, while the more robust Arctech Pro comes drop-certified for heavy-duty protection to heights up to 10 feet.
I spent a week testing out the 6.5” Arctech Slim on an iPhone 11 Pro Max, as well as an Xs Max. Functional tests included watching Twitch for a few hours at a time and playing the latest games available for Apple Arcade, in addition to more processor-needy games such as Fortnite and PUBG.
Stylin’ & Profilin’
First and foremost, the case had to pass the hold test. Not only does the case feel great to the touch, it feels incredibly durable despite the slim-profile. The days of the bulky, functional case seem to have all but vanished (finally).
At first, I was surprised that the Slim doesn’t fully cover the bottom of the phone. However, upon watching the Thursday Night Football game on my phone, I was delighted with the design decision to allow the phone’s speakers to be loud and clear, rather than muffled by a case covering. Something to keep in mind, though, is that the Arctech Pro case does cover the entire bottom of the phone (in addition to the volume and lock buttons). There are, however, vented holes preventing the speakers from being totally covered.
What’s Cooler Than Being Cool?
During the NFL Twitch stream, I kept checking the warmth of the phone (both connected and disconnected from a power source), but an increase in temperature never occurred. The same can be said while playing any of the Apple Arcade games. The more intensive games did get slightly warmer, but not enough to be overly concerned about, and it was certainly less warm than any of my previous cases. The Thermaphene Performance layer and vented case design no doubt attributed to this, making gameplay feel like I was playing with a caseless iPhone with a grip.
The case colors I used during my week of testing were black and quartz (pink). By the end of the week, the pink case was showing fairly noticeable scuff marks on the corner edges. I took a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser to the marks, which resulted in varying degrees of success. Ultimately, if you’re planning on going with either the quartz or mercury (white) colored case, you should do so with the mindset that you’re probably going to need to keep up on maintaining the case a little more consistently than with the black case.
Play Games While Protecting Your Investment
For mobile gamers with a new iPhone 11, the Razer Archtech smartphone case is a no-brainer. For those with a last-gen iPhone who are planning on updating - at least in the case of the Xs Max - the good news is that the case will work well enough on your current device. It’s a little less snug, but it will be able to perform admirably until you are able to upgrade.
The Razer Archtech Slim smartphone case is available now for $29.99 USD, with the Pro case being available for $39.99 USD. You can find out more on Razer's website. Product samples were provided by Razer for this review.